On this occasion there's alot of stories going around making claims of where this and that Xmas trad came from. However, it seems alot got lost in translation over the course of migration from Europe to North America. As a resident European ethnically raised on these long-standing trads, allow me to put things back into perspective for those of you far removed. On the Neolithic side, the Winter Solstice was seen as the marriage of the sun lord with the earth mother in the underworld and rebirth. The Celts celebrated their special occasions at sacred wells and springs where birches were planted to honour the wights and dryads. Garlands of sprigs and herbs according to the season were the usual decoration, in this case holly and mistletoe. These were burned afterwards to make a sacred fire at the closure of the ceremony. The berries represent blood and semen. The Germans used garlands of pine and spruce, especially for their antiseptic properties. These were also used for smudging households and stalls over the days of the wild hunt. This was conducted over a period of 12 days before and after yule, whereas yule comprised 4 or 5 days making a total of one lunar month. This was an intensive period of festivity for a perfectly good reason, namely to keep from going stir crazy in your lodgings over the long dark nights. In more modern tradition, this period is celebrated between the 6th of December and the 6th of January. The 6th of December is Nicholas Day. In old tradition it was when Wotan/Odin in the guise of a hobo traveler visited the households. Those who took him in and treated him well were rewarded with gifts in their footware when he left secretly into the night. Those who did not treat him well ran the risk of being snatched away by the riders of the wild hunt. The 6th of January was originally Holla's Day, where Holla drives the demons of the wild hunt back into her underworld abode. In the Forealpine regions of Europe, this parade of demons is known as the Perchten. Then the Norns came around to the households to do their census and make predictions for the new year, leaving their mark above the door upon leaving. The modern trad has an entourage of children with star lanterns, called Star Singers who come to collect for charity, whereas the mark is usually the blessing of the local priest. I remember my mother always burnt a sprig of evergreen on Nicholas Day and was very superstitious about the way we conducted our affairs over this period, assuming it would affect the new year. This is typical of old German beliefs about the spinners of fate.
http://www.medievalists.net/2015/12/12/surviving-winter-in-the-middle-ages/
